Behold the Lanke Quelle Plaque. This unassuming stone holds a story. A story of a vanished stream. The Lanke a brook once flowed here. It snaked through Lankwitz. Its waters fed the Lankwitz harbor. Eventually it merged with the Teltow Canal.
The Lanke Quelle Plaque marks the spring’s origin. The inscription simply reads Lanke Quelle. It’s a modest monument. Yet it commemorates a vital part of Lankwitz’s history. The plaque was gifted in 1989. This was during Lankwitz’s 750th anniversary celebration. The sculptor Franz Merk created this lasting tribute.
The name Lanke itself is fascinating. It’s from Polabian. It means meadow or marsh. Think of the marshy banks the Lanke once possessed. The area was once very different. Lankwitz itself means place by the riverbank. This highlights the brook’s significance in the settlement’s development.
The Lanke’s course is now largely invisible. Parts remain. The Hospitalgraben and the Lankegraben are remnants. A small pond still echoes the Lanke’s watery presence. The plaque stands as a reminder. It reminds us of Lankwitz’s past. It reminds us of a natural feature long since diverted underground. The Lanke’s water now flows unseen. It continues its journey to the Teltow Canal.
The Lanke Quelle Plaque isn’t grand. It lacks ornate details. Yet it is powerful. It embodies a simple truth. It tells us about a lost landscape. It recalls Lankwitz’s connection to its water source. It’s a quiet testament. A testament to a hidden history. Take a moment to appreciate this small marker. It preserves a memory. A memory of a stream that once defined Lankwitz. Remember the Lanke. Remember its source. Remember the plaque.